Elephant Trekking Through Hua Hin Hills Vineyard

For the combined price of 1,200 baht ($35) Jordan and I went to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard. There was a free shuttle that took us from their store in Hua Hin to the vineyard about 45 minutes away in the hills of Thailand.



We did a wine tasting of 7 different blends, of which one was even featured as an official wine selection for the ASEAN Summit. After, we had a sampling of 5 wines paired with delicious food creations to complement each flavor.



Then we set off on an elephant tour of the vineyard- this is the only vineyard in the world with elephant tours. To finish the day trip, we went back to the restaurant and ordered steaks imported from New Zealand.



All in all, I'd say the day was a success!

Why I Love My Kids

They give me gifts... pretty much every day. Sometimes it's food, sometimes it's a small trinket (earrings, scarves, etc), origami flowers. But my favorite gifts are drawings because, well, let me show you...


Made by a 4th grader named Mon.



Made by a 3rd grader named Friend (number 44, as she wrote in the top right-hand corner).



Made by a 3rd grader who abbreviated my name (Teacher Jordan) as T.J. Getting pretty creative with that English language.



Made by two 3rd graders, June and Aom. I love, I love, love, love. This one is fantastic.

Steal My Motorbike!!!!

Motorbike taxi "gangs," if you will, hang out at major intersections. The gang by my school sits about 20 meters away from their bikes... and their key holder, which is firmly nailed to a tree.



Pretty sure this scene screams, "Please, steal my motorbike!!!!!" But somehow I doubt these bikes have ever been jacked.

Food Galore

Bangkok has a nice selection of street food: pork satay, ice cream sandwiches (served as ice cream in a bread bun), chicken on a stick, cotton candy, fried cashews. 7-11 also carries a variety of snacks: cookies, noodles, ice cream bars, cereal, lays (even sushi and seaweed flavors). But every day I CRAVE American food. Little "healthy" (processed and vitamin infused) food can be found in the city without paying an arm and a leg- thanks, but I'd rather keep my limbs.

And this is where my parents come in. The best part of being away from home is receiving large boxes filled with American snacks.

Kanchanaburi

A few weekends ago, a group of us went NW towards the Burmese boarder to the lovely town of Kanchanaburi, Thailand. You'd know this town as home to the Bridge on the River Kwai. Though we had some set backs (buying tickets for the wrong city and actually getting on the wrong bus, a friend getting attacked by a swarm of jungle bees, no big deal), we were able to climb up a 7-tier waterfall, which was absolutely breathtaking. At some of the tiers, you can actually jump or slide in to swim in the crystal clear water.



And of course, I got a cheesy kiss under the waterfall...

Thai Mother's Day

In Thailand Mother's Day is celebrated on the Queen's birthday (and likewise for the King). Mother's Day is awesome here- no school, no work, total admiration of mothers.

The day before Mother's Day, my school had assemblies all day honoring the homeroom moms. Here's a bit of the hour long ceremony...

Thailand: Where (Most) Signs Are Comical

Both of these signs were found at a concert I went to this week.

No food, no pets, no... guns?!
And please note that there was "no entry for student in uniform." Students wear their uniforms everywhere.


Is there a better way possible to convey the international "toilet" sign?

Queen's Park + Emporium= LOVE

Phrom Pong is my favorite stop on the BTS.


Jordan and I hang out here often... for food, drinks, clothes, DVDs, used books, coffee, you name it. We frequent Emporium, Phrom Pong's mall, weekly for movies. This mall is much smaller than other Bangkok malls, but it has an entire floor of really nice watch stores, top lines like Hermes, and also stores like Forever 21 and Zara (which I can't afford here!). Phrom Pong has one of my favorite parks- Queen's Park. Like the mall, the park is much smaller than the major parks in Bangkok, but it's a perfect place for a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Traffic Laws

Traffic is bizarre, to say the least, in Bangkok. Large busses fly around tuk-tuks. Motorbikes turn 3 lane roads into 7 lane roads by driving between and around cars. Busses stop in the inner lane of traffic waiting for pedestrians to dodge traffic and load in the middle of the road. Mini busses think they're silver bullets as they weave in and out of traffic. Yet somehow, there are rarely sounds of horns.

And then I noticed something even more ridiculous about Bangkok's traffic (besides the fact that I've never been in a tuk-tuk that goes only 45 km/hr).

Is it really safe to have vehicles moving at 3 different speeds? Or, safety aside, it has got to be conducive to the terrible traffic jams. Talk about major bottleneck problems... can we say Herbie?

LOL WHAT?!

While Googling churches in Bangkok... I came across this:

Taking Free to a New Level

There are two things that make me extremely happy...
1. Free things
2. Air conditioning

Last night, I took the "free things" to a new level. Every last Friday of the month, there's a restaurant/bar that serves a BBQ buffet. Let me rephrase: a free BBQ buffet. Free-flowing food in a major international city? Could it be?! And BBQ in Asia?! Yes, yes, and yes.

Options:
BBQ pork ribs
BBQ chicken
Baked beans
Chili
French fries
Tater tots
Bread
Corn
Cole Slaw